Light bulbs burn out and need to be replaced. For outdoor lighting assemblies, the user usually must climb up a ladder to change the bulb. Two hands are generally needed to close the lighting assembly, one to hold the door and the other to latch it in place. Having both hands occupied, while on top of a ladder, can be difficult. As a result, it is desired to have a hinge mechanism on the lighting assembly where the user need only use one hand to open and close the door. Further, the hinge on the back of the lighting assembly is exposed to the elements and will wear until replacement becomes necessary. As a result, it is desired to have a hinge inside the light assembly, so that the hinge can be protected from the elements and be operable for a longer period.
In the present invention, a hinge for a lighting assembly couples a door and a main section of the lighting assembly such that the user may easily access the light source using only one hand. The hinge is substantially encompassed within the lighting assembly. The lighting assembly has a closed position wherein the door covers the bottom of the main section. The door has a transparent or translucent material such there is illumination therethrough.
The hinge mechanism has a base with a slot surrounded by an indentation, a shuttle guide extending from edges of the slot, a shuttle coupled to the base capable of sliding through the slot and shuttle guide, and a link having an end that forms a lip and is rotatably coupled to an end of the shuttle. The base is coupled with the main section and encompassed there within, and the link is coupled with the door. An angle between the shuttle guide and the base is acute. The link rotates between a first stop position wherein the link is substantially perpendicular to the shuttle and a second stop position wherein the link is substantially parallel with the shuttle. The hinge further has a flange along one side of the base that extends from an edge of a bottom surface of the base in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base.
The lighting assembly has a semi-closed position wherein the shuttle is in a down position, and a front part of the door is coupled with a latch to the lighting assembly. In the closed position, the shuttle is in an up position, and the front part of the door is coupled with the latch.
The base has a catch lip that extends from a back edge of the slot, wherein the catch lip is capable of deflecting the link slightly as the shuttle passes through the slot. The catch lip bends at approximately a 45 degree angle away from the slot. The link bends from a first shape when contacting the catch lip, and returns to the first shape after passing through the slot such that the lip of the link engages and protrudes through an aperture in the shuttle.
The shuttle guide has an aperture in its back surface. The shuttle aperture and the shuttle guide aperture align when the door is in the closed position, and the shuttle is in the up position. The shuttle is capable of sliding through the shuttle guide and has tabs on an upper end of its back side to keep the shuttle from dislodging from the shuttle guide.